Tie-plate for railways



(No Model.)

W. E. MILLER.

TIE PLATE PORRAILWAYS.

No. 597,084. Patented Jan. 11,1898.

E NDRR'S PETERS CC PHOTO'LVYHO. WASHKNGTON D C UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

XVILLIAM E. MILLER, OF VICTOR, COLORADO.

TIE-PLATE FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,084, dated January 11, 1898.

Application filed October 23,1897. Serial N0- 66B,199. (No model.)

To mZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Victor, in the county of El Paso and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Tie-Plate for Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway-tie plates, its object being to improve the construction of these devices, whereby they will efiectually resist the tendency of the rails to spread, relieve the lateral strain of the rail on the spikes, and prevent the latter from being bent or broken, and which will at the same time permit the insertion of a claw-bar below the head of the spike for the purpose of withdrawing the spike.

With these ends in view the invention consists of the several details of construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and the novel features of which will be clearly defined in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a sleeper and track-rail with my improved tie-plate in position. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the tie-plate. Fig. 8 is a section on the line a: a; of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a bottom perspective view of the tie-plate.

Similar referencemumerals indicate similar parts in the several figures.

The tie-plate may be made of any suitable metal and its middle portion 1, on which the base of the rail is intended to seat, will be comparatively thin, while its end portions 2 will be two or three times as thick as the middle portion in order to form strong abutments for the edges of the base of the rail and also a rigid support for the heads of the spikes.

One end of the plate is provided with a spike-opening 3 near each edge'and the other end with a similar opening substantially midway between its edges, and the metal of the plate is cut away on each side of the openings to form recesses 4:, each having an inclined end wall 5, extending upwardly and outwardly from the thin portion of the plate in rear of the spike-openings. The metal 6 between the respective recesses has a straight 5o perpendicular face 7, extending up from the outer end of the spike-opening and is of substantially equal width with the said opening and forms a support for the outer side of the head of the spike when driven into the tie.

The metal of the thickened ends of the plate that is not cut away in the formation of the spike-openings 3 and the recesses 4 will form solid abutments S for the base of the rail, two of these abutments being on one end of the plate and one on the other, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and each has a perpendicular face 9, extending up from the thin middle portion of the plate.

On the under side of the plate a series of integral alining cross-sectionally \lshaped projections 1 O are formed near each end thereof and parallel thereto, which are adapted to be forced into the wooden tie to securely hold the plate from moving thereon, and these projections being outside the spikes will materially aid the latter in resisting the tendency of the rails to spread.

The inner sides of the spike-openings 3 are in alinement with the inner vertical faces of the abutments S, and when the spikes are driven into the ties the supports 6 will guide them perpendicularly into the tie, and when their heads are in engagement with the base of the rail said supports will prevent the lateral strain of the rail on the spike from bending or breaking the outer end of the latter. As the head 11 of the spike is of greater width than its stem, it will project beyond the support at each side thereof, and the recesses a will permit the claws of an ordinary spikepuller to be readily inserted below the head of the spike, and the inclined wall of the recess will form a fulcrum therefor to withdraw the spike from the tie Whenever necessary.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that a tie-plate made in accordance with my invention will afford a strong support for the rail and spikes and resist the lateral strain of the former and prevent it from break in g or bending the spikes; also,that the spikes can readily be withdrawn from the tie, when necessary, without injuring or breaking the plate.

It will be understood that changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of said recesses having a vertical face to engage a the outer face of the spike and form a support for the h ead' thereof, substantially as described.

A tie-plate having a thin middle portion and thickened end portions having vertical faces extending upwardly from the thin portion of the plate to form abut nents for the base of the rail, said thickened end portions having spike-openings formed therein and being cut away on each side of the openings to form recesses having inclined end walls in rear of the said openings, the metal between I said recesses having a vertical face to engage the outer face of the spike and form a support for the head thereof, and said plate hav- 1 ing a series of integral alining projections on its lower face, said projections being cross- .sectionally V-shaped and arranged near the *ends of the plate and parallel thereto, sub ;stantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

IVI'LLIAM E. MILLER.

YVitnesses:

ALBERT S. FROST, JAMES P. OI-IANLON. 

